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New Zealand Graphic, Volume XXII, Issue III, 21 January 1899, Page 82

It may be interesting to know (says a Paris correspondent) that few of the sovereigns of Europe are good horsemen. The German Emperor is fond of horses, but he has not what can be called a good seat, while King Humbert is celebrated for his falls. The Emperor Nicholas is not precisely a master of the art of equitation, and the Kings of Sweden, Greece, and Denmark detest riding. The King of Portugal labours under the disadvantage of embonpoint. Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria cannot ride for an hour at a time, and King Alexander of Servia is afraid of horses. Queen Wilhelmina prefers a bicycle, and, incidentally, is not allowed to ride one. The British Royal Princes are, however, all expert horsemen. The King of Spain has hardly passed the period of rocking horses as yet. and the President of the Swiss Confederation does not ride because he does not possess a horse. Continental Europe can only boast of three sovereigns who are really at home in the saddle—the Emperor of Austria, the King of the Belgians, and President Felix Faure.